Tag Archives: The Federal Reserve

Owners of shopping malls, hotels and offices are defaulting on their loans at an alarming rate, and the commercial real estate market is not expected to hit bottom for three more years, industry experts warned Thursday. “The commercial real estate ...

The economy’s sharp downhill slide eased in the late spring and hopes for future business activity improved, suggesting that the worst of the recession has passed. A Federal Reserve snapshot of economic conditions issued Wednesday found that five of the ...

May 20, 2009Comments Off on Fed sees hopeful signs but downgrades ’09 forecast

The Federal Reserve expects the economy to improve in coming months, even as policymakers have downgraded their outlook for all of 2009. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues believe business sales and factory production will begin to gradually recover ...

May 15, 2009Comments Off on Industrial production falls by least in 6 months

The Federal Reserve says the nation’s industrial production fell in April by the smallest amount in six months, evidence that the pace of the economy’s decline is slowing. The Fed says output by the nation’s factories, mines and utilities fell ...

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Tuesday the economy should start growing again later this year, his most optimistic assessment of the country’s financial health since the recession struck with force last year. But Bernanke warned that even after ...

As the recession grinds on, Federal Reserve policymakers will open a two-day meeting Tuesday to make a fresh assessment of economic conditions, review the effectiveness of programs in place and weigh whether they need to expand or change them. Any ...

Does the song “I’ve Got the World on a String” have something to say about the economy, specifically monetary policy and the Federal Reserve? This swingin’ tune was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, and has been recorded over ...

April 15, 2009Comments Off on Industrial production drops more than expected

Industrial production fell for the fifth straight month in March, the government said Wednesday, as companies cut output in order to clear stockpiles of goods. But economists expect that trend to moderate soon, as businesses bring inventories in line with ...

April 14, 2009Comments Off on Bernanke sees ‘tentative signs’ of improvement

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday there’s been “tentative signs” that the recession may be easing. But he also warned that any hope for a lasting recovery hinges on the government’s success in stabilizing shaky financial markets and getting ...

April 7, 2009Comments Off on Consumer borrowing dips more than expected in February

Consumer borrowing plunged in February by more than analysts expected as Americans cut back their use of credit cards by a record amount. The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that consumer borrowing dropped at an annual rate of $7.48 billion in ...